Nepali Media Urged to Help End Conflict

Nepali media urged to help end conflict

KATHMANDU, July 29 (Xinhua) — The Nepali media should show special interest in bringing the government and the guerrillas both to the negotiating table for resolving the present conflict in the country, president of South Asian Free Media Association ( SAFMA) Nepal Branch said here Friday.

“The Nepali media sector should become more active towards conflict resolution and management as the media has an important role to play in connecting the government and the guerrillas,” Gopal Thapaliya, president of SAFMA Nepal Branch told reporters at a seminar.

The seminar on Media, Conflict Reporting and Human Rights was organized by SAFMA Nepal Branch.

The media should be able to disseminate news and views in an independent manner, Thapaliya said.

Since the human rights defenders and the journalists are friends, they should work even more vigorously against the guerrillas’ violence and atrocities, Thapaliya noted.

The families of journalists killed in course of the conflict should be able to get due relief, Thapaliya added.

Over 12,000 Nepalese people have been killed since the anti- government insurgency took place in the Himalayan kingdom in February 1996.